"Fifth Brother, I've finally seen you." Ruoling nestled in Zhu Dan's arms, tears streaming down her face, soon soaking his dragon robe.
Zhu Dan gently stroked Ruoling's head: "Fifth brother misses you too. You are very brave. Our Ruoling is no longer a little girl."
Zhang Zhongwei's eyes also reddened: "Princess, you've been gone for months, and His Majesty has been thinking of you for months. Today, when he heard that you had finally returned, he instructed this old servant to clean up your bedroom early this morning and ordered the Imperial Kitchen to prepare many of your favorite foods. As for the clothes you like to wear, His Majesty also ordered the Embroidery Bureau to make them for you a long time ago."
Ruoling stepped out of Zhu Dan's arms and smiled at him somewhat shyly.
Zhu Dan wiped away her tears, his hand touching the burn that covered almost her entire right cheek: "This injury..."
Ruoling burst into laughter through her tears: "It's fake, Qi Yu drew it."
Zhu Dan received Lu Xiaoyun's letter more than a month ago, and he knew it was fake, but he was still shocked when he saw it with his own eyes.
Zhang Zhongwei exclaimed, "Oh dear, you scared this old servant to death! I thought it was real. This Miss Qiyu is truly amazing; she painted it so realistically."
Lu Xiaoyun said, "Your Majesty, the fewer people who know that Ruoling's 'injury' is fake, the better. I think it would be better to have Ayan come to the palace often, saying that he is treating the princess and removing her scars. Qiyu can pretend to be Ayan's attendant and come to the palace every few days to slowly fade Ruoling's 'injury'. After a year or two, it will be completely restored. What do you think?"
Zhu Dan looked at Lu Xiaoyun with tender eyes: "Alright, I'll listen to you. Zhang Zhongwei, take the princess to rest. I have something to discuss with my fourth brother."
Zhang Zhongwei hurriedly accepted the order: "Princess, this old servant will escort you there."
Ruoling wiped away her tears, bowed to her two older brothers, and then followed Zhang Zhongwei away.
When the Empress Dowager saw Ruoling, she hugged her and cried again, feeling sorry for her. Touching the "wounds" on Ruoling's face, she felt both heartache and sadness, and her hatred for Nanliang grew even stronger.
Back then, his daughter Changning was married off to the Northern Qi, but she was murdered and killed in just three years. A year later, all that was left was her skeleton.
Ruoling did not follow in Changning's footsteps because she had two good older brothers.
But Changning did not.
Inside the Imperial Study, after seeing Ruoling off, Lu Xiaoyun told Zhu Dan everything that had happened over the past three months. However, she omitted the wolf attack in Mu City, only mentioning that the Duke of Ying had kept over four hundred secret guards and that the inn had been burned down.
Firstly, she felt it was unnecessary; having her and Zhu Yu around was enough.
Secondly, whether the remnants of the Duke of England have been completely wiped out remains to be investigated by the imperial court.
When Zhu Dan saw that Yun'er did not go directly to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion after returning to Shengjing, but instead went to the palace first, he suppressed the scene he had just witnessed on the city wall.
He looked at Lu Xiaoyun with a smile on his face.
Lu Xiaoyun's throat was dry from talking. Finally, seeing Zhu Dan smiling at her like a fool, she frowned slightly, stood up, and said, "Your Majesty, I have said everything. If..."
"Wait a minute." Zhu Dan called out to her as soon as he saw her about to leave.
Lu Xiaoyun had no choice but to stand still.
"Regarding the hereditary official system, Gu Weizhi and Guo Shaoyu will bring it up again tomorrow morning, and then..."
Lu Xiaoyun naturally understood Zhu Dan's meaning: "Yes, Your Majesty, rest assured, I know what to do. I have been away from Shengjing for several months, and there is a lot of official business piled up at my residence. If Your Majesty has no other instructions, I will return to my residence now."
Zhu Dan waved for Zhang Zhongwei and his attendants to leave, while he looked at her tenderly.
Lu Xiaoyun frowned. To be honest, she really didn't like being alone with Zhu Dan right now.
When it was just the two of them, Zhu Dan never had anything to say, and this feeling was unpleasant. She had told him more than once that she was no longer the Lu Xiaoyun from the modern era, and that she no longer liked him.
Why doesn't he understand? He's still nagging and it's so annoying.
"Does Your Majesty have any further instructions?" she asked coldly.
"Yun'er." Zhu Dan stood up from the dragon throne, walked to her side, took her right hand, and looked at the words "-3000 points" on it, his expression softening even more.
"You and Fourth Brother will be switching back soon."
Lu Xiaoyun withdrew her hand and said calmly, "Yes, it's almost here. It could take three to five months at most, or one or two months at least. It's definitely almost here."
"So, wait until it's switched back..."
Before Zhu Dan could say anything more, Lu Xiaoyun interrupted, "Whether we wait until we switch back or not, it's a done deal that Zhu Yu and I are together. The Emperor has been on the throne for several months now, and it's indeed time for him to take a concubine and establish an empress."
"Yun'er..."
Lu Xiaoyun took a deep breath: "Your Majesty, my current body is Zhu Yu. If possible, Your Majesty may call me Fourth Brother. If not, either Zhu Yu or Lu Xiaoyun. If none of these apply, calling me Miss Lu is also acceptable."
"It's just that the name 'Yun'er' is too intimate. Zhu Yu will be unhappy if he hears it, and I don't want him to be unhappy. In the future, please don't address me like that, Your Majesty."
After saying that, Lu Xiaoyun didn't linger and turned to leave the Imperial Study.
Ha, Zhu Yu will be unhappy if he hears this, so she only cares about Zhu Yu. Whether he is happy or sad, she doesn't care at all, right?
Outside the Imperial Study, Right Chancellor Bu Feizhang and Left Chancellor Gu Weizhi were waiting. Upon seeing her, they hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Highness Prince An's trip to Southern Liang has resolved a great threat for Great Zhou. We are ashamed to admit that we are not as talented as Prince An."
Lu Xiaoyun glanced at them coldly: "Indeed, you are not as good as me. The Emperor has already come of age, yet he has not yet taken a concubine or established an Empress. This is the fault of you, his trusted ministers. Advising the Emperor to produce offspring for the royal family is of paramount importance to the stability of the Great Zhou Dynasty. But now the Emperor has been on the throne for several months, and you have not even handled this small matter properly. It is a disgrace that you two hold the positions of Left and Right Prime Ministers."
Having said that, without waiting for the two of them to speak, he flicked his sleeve and strode away.
Bu Feizhang and Gu Weizhi looked at each other. Prince An was right. They were first-rank officials and the heads of the civil officials. It was a matter of great importance to the country to advise the emperor to take a concubine and establish an empress so that an imperial heir could be born as soon as possible!
So the two of them straightened their chests, gathered their thoughts, and walked into the imperial study.
However, half an hour later, despite their earnest and eloquent arguments, which had silenced half the court, the two prime ministers had almost worn their lips out, but still failed to persuade their emperor.
So, after the two left the Imperial Study, they exchanged a glance, and without saying a word, they turned a corner together and went to Cisui Palace to request an audience with the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager.
If they couldn't persuade the emperor, were the Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager also helpless?
Heh, heh, the two of them gave a sly smile.
At this moment, the Empress Dowager and her daughter-in-law were sitting facing each other copying scriptures, while palace maids and eunuchs quietly served them.
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